National Road Safety Week 2024: 'Be a road safety hero'

Road Safety Week is an annual event that is dedicated to raising awareness and encouraging safe driving practices. This week-long event encourages people, communities, and organisations to prioritise road safety measures in an effort to reduce traffic accidents and save lives.

Hyderabad:In the modern world, transportation and the road have become essential components of every human being. In one way or another, everyone uses the roads. While the current transportation system has reduced travel times, it has also raised the risk to human life. Each year, traffic accidents claim thousands of lives and leave crores of people with severe injuries.

India observes National Road Safety Week from January 11–17. In order to avoid traffic accidents, the week is dedicated to promoting road safety measures. This week is observed to raise awareness among the public about our shared duty for making sure that everyone travels safely on the roads.

It has been reported that over 1,50,000 people lose their lives in traffic accidents each year. If road safety procedures are followed, traffic accidents can be totally prevented.

History - Road Safety Week began in 1989 as a reaction to the growing number of traffic accidents and fatalities, highlighting the significance of putting safety first when using any kind of transportation. The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways instituted the inaugural National Road Safety Week.

Theme - The theme for this year's National Road Safety Week is, "Be a road safety hero," which honours those who improve traffic safety and provide post-crash assistance. It places a strong emphasis on everyone taking part to make travel safer.

Road crash deaths are down by 5 per cent globally, but India’s numbers rise: In India, a traffic accident claims the life of one person approximately every three and a half minutes. According to India's most recent Road Accidents data, there are 1,264 road accidents and 462 fatalities on average every day, or 53 wrecks and 19 fatalities per hour. In total, 461,312 traffic crashes in 2022 resulted in 168,491 fatalities and 443,366 injuries. In India, 1,50,785 road crash deaths were recorded in 2018, while 1,53,792 deaths were reported in 2021. In 2010, the figure was 1.3 lakh.

The World Health Organization's most recent Global Status Report on Road Safety shows that, despite continued increases in India, the yearly number of road traffic deaths has decreased by 5 per cent to 1.19 million. Road traffic accidents continue to be the greatest cause of mortality for children and young people between the ages of five and 29 worldwide, despite a minor decline in the number of deaths — more than two per minute and more than 3,200 per day — according to the research.

Road accidents in India 2022 report -In 2022, there were 17.99 per cent more accidents overall on National Highways, 10.69 per cent more on State Highways, and 8.23 per cent more accidents on other roads. In 2022 there were 8.98 per cent more fatalities on National Highways, 8.03 per cent more on State Highways, and 10.73 per cent more on other roads.

Since 2021, there has been a rise in the number of accidents, fatalities, and injuries on three categories of roads. With over 64,000 instances reported, Tamil Nadu led the Indian states with the most traffic accidents in 2022. Madhya Pradesh was in second with over 54,000 occurrences.

However, within the same time frame, Uttar Pradesh saw the greatest number of deadly accidents, as per the state-by-state breakdown of road accidents and fatalities in the Ministry of Road Transport and Highway (MoRTH) 2022 report.

Reason behind India's road accidents - A staggering 72 per cent of traffic accidents in India were caused by speeding. The most common causes were driving on the wrong side of the road, driving while intoxicated, and using a cell phone while operating a vehicle. Similar to 2021, two out of every three victims of car accidents in 2022 were between the ages of 18 and 45. The significant economical ramifications of such a high percentage of young victims go beyond the emotional and psychological toll on the family.

SADAK SURAKSHA - JEEVAN RAKSHA -The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has called for a cooperative effort between the state and federal governments to facilitate the improvement of road and safety infrastructure and to lower casualties and mortality rates, acknowledging that traffic accidents are a major cause of death in the nation.

The Indian Road Safety Campaign has been tasked by the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways to spearhead road safety initiatives aimed at increasing grassroots citizen participation in road safety measures across the country in an effort to increase safety and lower the number of casualties from traffic accidents.

Even while things can seem hopeless, today more than ever, people must band together to be change agents. To guarantee that we get what we deserve —safer communities and roads — we must all make an effort to do our share.

Road safety tips:

Do not enter in 'No Entry' zone -For a number of reasons, the 'No Entry' traffic safety regulations are vital. These zones are first and foremost designed to ensure safe traffic flow. Moreover, because oncoming traffic doesn't anticipate you in a 'No Entry' zone, entering one raises the risk of an accident.

Follow traffic signals - At crossroads, intersections, and zebra crossings, traffic signals are installed for a purpose. Always heed the indications for red, green, and yellow lights when driving or walking. Only when the light turns green should you walk or drive; stop at red lights.

On the road, stay to the left - You must stay to your left whether driving or walking in India since we follow the left side of the road. Taking a turn makes it much more important. Turning from the right side of the road may result in an accident because oncoming traffic may not recognise where you are.

Use hand gestures and turn signals -When you're walking, biking, or driving, you should let other drivers and pedestrians know where you are going. You can prevent collisions by using turn signals and hand gestures. In addition, when driving in a silent zone, it is preferable to utilise hand gestures and signs rather than horns.

Avoid using mobile phones on the road - One of the main sources of distraction when driving is cell phones. It is quite risky to talk on the phone or browse social media while operating a motor vehicle.

Use zebra crossing to cross the road -When crossing a busy road, you must use extraordinary caution. It is essential that you cross at the zebra crossing as opposed to any other crossing point. The route with black and white stripes is intended to let people cross the street safely.

Do not drink and drive - Of all the road safety regulations in India, the prohibition against driving after intoxication is one of the harshest. Offenders of this traffic safety rule infraction face steep penalties and jail time in several places around the United States.

Wear the necessary safety gear - As a normal precaution for road safety, you have to wear certain safety gear. When operating a four-wheeler, a driver must use a seat belt. Similar to this, a cyclist on two wheels needs to wear a helmet to prevent unintentional injury.